(In-)Consistency Management in Modeling 2026ICMM 2026

Modeling supports engineers in understanding domains and systems by offering useful abstractions. Creating an abstraction is a cognitive and inherently subjective process in which a mental model is translated into a digital representation. In collaborative environments or when models are distributed and/or evolve in the modeling process, they may contradict each other. Therefore, for successful system development, the process of modeling inherently involves considering and removing contradictions, i.e., establishing and also, crucially, maintaining consistency or managing inconsistency.

Investigating the interplay between modeling and consistency is crucial, including aspects such as consistency checking, repair, preservation within modeling processes, or how to deal with existing inconsistencies. Improving the usefulness of abstractions in modeling can be achieved by using views to display parts of a model tailored to specific tasks or stakeholders.

Consistency problems arising from such practices, for instance, the View-Update-Problem, and their interaction with consistency, present ongoing scientific challenges. These issues are particularly significant in model-based techniques that aim to assure software quality, as inconsistent models can lead to errors, ambiguities, and compromised reliability in software systems.

This year, we started with a specific challenge on the management of inconsistencies to bring together academia and industry, especially tool vendors but also industry practitioners experiencing the issues brought up in the challenge in their day-to-day work. With the abstract description of the challenge we invite all perspectives on the management of inconsistencies, be it from an existing tool, already able to solve (parts of) the described issues, up to practitioners who can express their requirements and proposals for a solution to the challenge.

This workshop seeks to explore novel ways of addressing consistency issues, including their implications for enhancing software quality, from all fields engaged in constructive modeling. This year’s edition introduces a new challenge aimed at advancing tool support for identifying consistencies and inconsistencies in multi-model systems. It brings forward several open questions in the interplay between modeling and consistency, addressing key topics such as:

• Consistency checking, repair, and preservation within modeling processes.
• Techniques for handling existing inconsistencies in large-scale or distributed models.
• Challenges and solutions for multi-view and multi-paradigm modeling, including the View-Update Problem.
• Approaches to improving the utility of abstractions for diverse stakeholders while maintaining consistency.
• Novel methods to assure software quality through effective consistency management.

Accepted Papers

Call for Papers

Topics of interest

The ICMM 2026 seeks submissions addressing theoretical foundations, practical applications, or empirical studies related to consistency management in modeling. Submissions may include, but are not limited to:

• Formal Definition of Consistency: Frameworks and methodologies for rigorously defining and classifying consistency.
• Consistency Checking and Repair: Techniques, algorithms, and tools for detecting and resolving inconsistencies.
• Consistency Preservation: Strategies to maintain consistency during model evolution and across distributed systems.
• Inconsistency Tolerance: Approaches to handle and work with inconsistencies when resolution is impractical or costly.
• View Management: Addressing consistency challenges arising from multi-view modeling.
• Impact on Model/Software Quality: Understanding and mitigating the effects of inconsistency on model/software reliability and correctness.
• Case Studies and Applications: Practical insights into consistency management in real-world systems.

Join us to discuss and shape the future of consistency management in modeling!

Submissions

Please indicate the paper category you are submitting:

• Foundational Papers (Regular – 10 pages): These papers should explore the theoretical foundations of (in-)consistency and approaches for managing it.
• Application Papers (Regular – 10 pages): These papers should focus on the application of consistency in tools and/or frameworks. Papers demonstrating consistency-preserving methods in industrial applications are especially encouraged.
• Short Papers (Short – 5 pages): These papers should present novel ideas to the community and are intended to spark discussions during the workshop.
• Challenge Papers (regular – 10 pages): These papers should describe solutions to the ICMM Challenge. Onward from this edition of the workshop, we welcome solutions to challenge(s), which this year is revolving around the construction of a brake system, available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18599404. Authors are encouraged to submit their solutions to the proposed problems and discuss their tools and approaches as well as their ideas, independent of their implementation state.

Submitting papers will be through EasyChair. Please use the following LaTeX Template. This template includes specific mandatory elements, in particular the Declaration on Generative AI, which must be included. Please ensure that your submission strictly follows the instructions provided in this template. Simultaneous submission to other conferences with proceedings, as well as submission of material that has already been published elsewhere, is not allowed. The page limits include references.

Publication

Proceedings shall be submitted to CEUR-WS.org for online publication.

This year, we’re pleased to announce that Johan Cederbladh will address the workshop with his keynote!

Content

The Volvo CE portfolio contains hundreds of machine models and platforms, with millions of possible configurations. Managing common architecture descriptions and sharing technology across this landscape is a significant part of global architecture management, and entails work across technology, purchasing, manufacturing, and market/aftermarket functions. In the global architecture work, MBSE offers tools and methods to drive unification. Nonetheless, MBSE in itself does not solve the problems of managing architecture globally, and through this presentation different nuances of working with models and abstraction are presented. Particularly, how can we truly reach shared understanding and drive unification through MBSE? The solution to many lays in the “system model”, acting as the “source of truth” to drive consistency and interoperability. This talk will exemplify what the system model means from the perspective of a complete organization, and discuss lessons learned during this adoption process of integrating a source of truth for global architecture management. Particularly, we emphasize pragmatism as a key enabler, and how MBSE can truly drive value for different stakeholders.

Bio

Johan Cederbladh is a global architect at Volvo Construction Equipment (CE) working with simulation, architecture processes, and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). He has a Master of Science in dependable aeronautical systems engineering from Mälardalen University, and a PhD from Mälardalen university in computer science on the topic of early Validation & Verification (V&V) in MBSE. In his work as a global architect, he is part of defining and MBSE in the architectural, or “early phases”, of product and portfolio management. This work includes working with methods, languages, and tools for working with and managing models. His research interests include anything touching MBSE, collaboration, and early V&V.